


better? better.

by vonseal



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Eunwoo is mentioned, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, hints at binu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 08:56:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11482968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal
Summary: Minhyuk's crush is Sanha. Sanha's crush is the biggest, most stupid idiot on the planet (aka, Minhyuk).





	better? better.

**Author's Note:**

> i put this up on tumblr but, lol, i liked it so it comes here, too. i usually dont like my socky fics, but i actually liked this one, so pls enjoy!

They first met at an overnight summer camp. Minhyuk thought he looked weird, with his floppy black hair and large glasses. Still, he had a smile that lit up the entire room, and he bounced from person to person with more enthusiasm than Minhyuk had seen before in his life.

His final bounce was in front of Minhyuk, and he waved a hand ecstatically. “Hi!” he greeted, seemingly out of breath. “I'm Yoon Sanha and I'm eight years old!”

He didn't realize he was supposed to introduce himself back until Sanha gave him a questioning stare.

“Park Minhyuk. I'm nine.”

“Whoa!” Sanha's eyes lit up. “You're _nine?_ You're the oldest one I've met so far! You must be super smart! What grade are you in? Have you memorized your entire times table yet? I haven't. I think I can do it by next year, though.”

There was too much to respond to, and so Minhyuk decided to just fall silent and nod along with all of Sanha's inquiries and comments. He was talkative, in any case, and while Minhyuk didn't really like conversing all that much, he _did_ like to listen.

So he tuned in to all of Sanha's rambling. He learned that Sanha was the youngest of three brothers who teased him all the time but cherished him more than anything. He learned that Sanha was teaching himself how to play the guitar and had made his fingers bleed in the early stages. He learned that Sanha one day wanted contacts instead of the bulky glasses he wore. He learned that Sanha would soon be getting braces, as much as he begged his mother not to, and that he was scared the metal pieces would come to life as a robot and murder him in his sleep.

All in all, it was a lot of information to take in, which was why Minhyuk realized he was perfect for the job as Sanha's best friend. How many other people would put up with being talked to for hours? Not many, and by the looks of it, everyone else seemed turned off by Sanha's relentless optimism. Not Minhyuk, though. Minhyuk tapped his shoulder at one point and said, “We're friends now.”

Sanha had grinned widely and had blushed, ducking his head and hiding his face, and Minhyuk just smiled to himself.

They roomed together for the summer camp. On the first night, Minhyuk came back from the toilet to find Sanha frantically searching through his bags, a look of fear solidly placed on his face.

“Sanha?” Minhyuk stepped closer. “What's wrong?”

“My blanket is gone!” Sanha announced. Minhyuk noticed his hands were trembling. “I-I-I thought I told my mom to pack my blanket! Why's it not here? Oh my gosh, Minhyuk, I can't sleep without my blanket! I know it's a-a childish thing, and everyone ma-makes fun of me, but I _can't sleep!_ ”

Minhyuk stared at his new friend for a second, at his panicked expression and the odd frown that had overtaken his features.

He wanted happy Sanha back.

He reached up to his top bunk, where his things had already been unpacked, and pulled down his own blanket. It was a newer one, something his mom bought him specifically for the trip, and it held no deeper meaning to him than just being something to wrap himself in.

“Here.” He held it out, and Sanha blinked at it. “I know it's not _your_ blanket, but...but it can do for now, right?”

Sanha didn't answer at first, and so Minhyuk tried again. “Here, take my blanket. We can call your mom tomorrow and see if she'll drop off yours.”

Tentative hands reached out, lightly grasping a hold of the soft material. When Minhyuk let go, Sanha held it close to him, fingers curling up and clenching it near his chest.

“Better?” Minhyuk asked.

Sanha nodded. “Better,” he murmured.

//////////////////

Camping, Minhyuk soon learned, was rough. Setting up a tent was harder than it appeared in the movies, too, especially when the only partner available was Yoon Sanha.

“No, Minhyuk, this part goes _here-_ ” Sanha stuck one of the pegs in the ground and started tying off part of the tent. “And then the one labeled _G_ goes on the other side-”

“You're reading it upside down!” Minhyuk exclaimed when he noticed the small instruction booklet that Sanha was trying to follow along to. “Didn't you think _something_ was wrong when you saw that the tent wasn't even right-side up?”

Sanha tried to defend himself. “All campers do it like this, because real life is in reverse from the images.”

“That doesn't even make any sense!” Minhyuk tore one of the pegs out from the ground and snatched the book away. “I'm in charge of instructions from now on, okay?”

Sanha followed along, though not without several mistakes. By the time the tent was finally stuck up (albeit, a little lopsided, but it still would work for the night), the stars had woken from their slumber and the birds had begun to fall silent, lulled by the darkness into their own restful sleep.

Minhyuk made certain that all of their food were stored in the correct containers and that the fire they had set up before (which Sanha nearly burnt himself on twice) was properly put out. Sanha, meanwhile, seemed content enough to watch as Minhyuk did all the work. He flipped through a few of the books he brought, but after the third time Minhyuk checked on their belongings, he groaned and flopped over. “Minhyuk!” he whined. “I'm sleepy! Can we go to bed?”

“I can't believe you dragged me into the wilderness to go to bed,” Minhyuk mumbled. “Aren't you excited to see the forest at night?”

“Nuh-uh! Lots of weird things come out at night; wolves and bears and tigers and lions-”

“Are we in Korea in your head?”

Sanha pouted and pointed at the tent. “We didn't bring sleeping bags to just stare at them. Come on, Minhyuk, I'm tired!”

Minhyuk finally did relent, but not because he had a soft spot for Sanha or because Sanha deserved a good night's sleep _every_ night. He just relented because Sanha made very good points, was all, nothing more and nothing less.

Still, he didn't want to sleep. He was stretched out on top of his sleeping bag, staring up at the thin fabric of their tent. Sanha lay beside him, curled up and looking quite similar to some sort of worm. A long worm. Maybe a snake.

But Sanha couldn't be a snake unless it was a cute snake.

“Hey, Sanha?”

“Mm?”

At least he was still awake. Minhyuk rolled over to face him. “Let's play truth or dare, okay? That's something that should always be done on camping trips.”

Sanha yawned and peeked through one eye. “Really?”

“I wouldn't lie to you, would I?”

“You definitely would.”

“ _Sanha_.” Minhyuk sighed. “Fine. We'll go to sleep and make this the most boring camping trip of all time. Sounds like a great-”

“Truth or dare?”

It came so suddenly that Minhyuk had to take a second to actually react, but he made his decision still rather quickly. “Truth.”

Sanha hummed lightly, then asked, “Do you have a crush?”

Minhyuk stared at his friend. The moonlight filtered in through the fabric of their tent, casting a light blue glow over Sanha's face, shining in his brown hair and making him seem more soft and serene than he usually was.

And, when the sun would come up, Sanha would beam brighter than a big, orange ball of fire and flames could ever attempt to. He would probably stretch his ridiculously long limbs before rising from bed, and he would shake Minhyuk awake, ready to eat some of their prepared camping food around the fire that Minhyuk would have to start because Sanha was too clumsy to be let around anything that could burn him.

Did he have a crush?

“Yes,” he replied quietly, and he averted his gaze so that Sanha couldn't see the longing in them.

“Really?” Sanha sounded surprised. “Oh. Who is it, then?”

“You only asked me one truth, so now it's my turn!” Minhyuk wouldn't reveal that _Sanha_ was his crush. Sanha wasn't like that. Sanha liked girls. Minhyuk would save himself the trouble and the heartbreak and never admit it. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“This is the most boring game of truth and dare ever. Dare is a lot more fun.”

“You can choose it next time, then,” Sanha retorted. “I chose truth. Ask me a question.”

Minhyuk bit at his lip, then turned over again on his back. “Do _you_ have a crush?” he asked, and he was almost scared to hear the answer.

(He wasn't sure what he was scared of. He wasn't sure if he was scared of a _yes_ or of a _no_. Both prospects were equally frightening.)

Sanha was quiet for a second or two before mumbling, “Yes.”

That was exactly what Minhyuk was afraid of.

(He had been afraid of both.)

“Truth or dare, Minhyuk?”

“I don't want to play anymore. I'm tired.” It was a lie, a silly, stupid lie, and he knew Sanha could see right through it. Nine years of being close made them aware of each others' quirks, of likes and dislikes, of truths and lies. And Minhyuk was lying, and based on Sanha's narrowed eyes, the younger boy could tell.

Still, Sanha didn't try to convince Minhyuk otherwise. He simply scoffed and pointed at the sleeping bag. “At least go to bed _in_ your sleeping bag. My mom didn't buy these so you could sleep on top of them.”

“I'm not that cold.” Another lie. Another lie that Sanha saw right through. It didn't help that it _had_ gotten a little chilly in their tent and Minhyuk's arms were crossed, wrapped around himself in order to try and conserve some sort of body heat.

In response, Sanha reached down into his sleeping bag and pulled out a familiar-looking blanket. It was cheap and gray with red lightning bolts. Minhyuk recognized it instantly, and he tried to hide a smile. “Is that-”

“Here. Take my blanket.”

“ _Your_ blanket.” Minhyuk grinned as it was passed over to him. It didn't really cover much of his body anymore, and he couldn't imagine it would cover _any_ of Sanha's body at this point. It had a few holes toward the edges, the telltale signs of it having been used until it had become worn, and for some reason, that made Minhyuk's heart leap in his chest.

He wrapped up in the blanket the best he could. He felt warmth flood in through him, and he knew it wasn't from the extra material covering his skin.

“Better?” he heard Sanha ask with a yawn.

Minhyuk took a deep breath. “Better,” he whispered.

//////////////////

College was a more difficult time than Minhyuk could have ever imagined. He told his mother he was simply stressed over schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Truth be told, though, he could easily handle the load of work he had been given. He could handle being out until late at night, finishing up assignments in the library or practicing his choreography in the campus' dance studio. None of that was an issue to him.

Rooming with Sanha, though, stressed him out more than anything.

He dreaded going home at night. Sanha would greet him cheerfully, exuberantly, usually with some sort of meal prepared. They would eat and laugh and talk, and Sanha, ever so fond of being close to people, would hug him or nudge his shoulder or just _touch_ him. It sent jolts of electricity through Minhyuk's skin, and when they both retreated to their rooms for the night, Minhyuk would stare over at Sanha's door, reminded of how unreachable the younger boy truly was.

“I still think you should tell him,” Minhyuk's friend and dance partner muttered to him one night after a particularly grueling practice. “I mean, that's what I did to the guy I like, and look where I am now!”

Minhyuk scowled, then glanced over at his _partner's_ partner. “Everyone knew that Myungjun-hyung had a huge crush on you, though,” he mumbled.

“I didn't.”

“Because you're an idiot, Jinwoo.”

He might have deserved the small smack to his shoulder, but he just gave Jinwoo a smirk in response.

“Point is, you might be surprised. I was. I thought I knew _everything_ about Myungjun that there was to know, and so when I confessed to him, I expected him to kindly reject me and for our relationship to turn awkward. I didn't expect that he would laugh and end up crying on my couch and tell me how long _he_ loved me for.”

Nearby, Myungjun was painting a large banner on the ground, something for the arts festival that the dance team would be taking part of. His strokes were even and clean, and he had his tongue sticking out of his mouth in slight concentration as he worked. Jinwoo rubbed some sweat off his own forehead and stared fondly over at his boyfriend.

“I know Sanha better than you knew Myungjun back then,” Minhyuk mumbled under his breath, causing Jinwoo's attention to be broken away from Myungjun.

“Not likely. I think you're missing something really big right underneath your nose. Like, he's friends with tons of people, but he only lights up for you. And he _hates_ to cook, always talks about how much he despises it, but he still makes sure you have something to eat when you come home. And you claim he only dates girls, but when has he _ever_ gone on a date in his entire life?”

Jinwoo had very good points. Minhyuk just hated being proven wrong, so he shot back, “He tells me how pretty girls are sometimes, though.”

“Myungjun would tell me how nice some guy's ass was. It's a jealousy thing. It's stupid to do, but he's probably trying to make you jealous like Myungjun was trying to make _me_ jealous. It's _stupid_ ,” Jinwoo repeated, then glanced over once more at his boyfriend. “Hey, sweetheart!” he called out. Myungjun looked up. “You're stupid!”

Myungjun grinned in reply. “Love you, too!” he yelled, a little too loud for the practice room, before turning right back to his painting.

Jinwoo stared pointedly at Minhyuk. “Doesn't Sanha act like how I just acted? Doesn't he tease you and call you names? And doesn't he seem like he's trying too hard to make you jealous at times?”

Maybe in certain circumstances, it was perfectly okay to be proven wrong. After all, if Minhyuk was proven wrong here, perhaps it meant that Sanha actually _did_ like him. Perhaps it meant he wasn't harboring a one-sided crush at all.

Perhaps it meant Sanha would see him more than just a friend.

He hurried home as soon as they had cleaned up the practice room. Myungjun and Jinwoo walked hand-in-hand, and Bin took a few steps ahead of the group in order to call Dongmin.

(“Myungjun thinks Dongmin and Bin will get together before you and Sanha,” Jinwoo had whispered. “If you let me down, Minhyuk, I lose twenty-two thousand won and my dignity.”)

When he arrived back in his shared apartment, Sanha was already waiting. He jumped up from his seat on the couch the moment Minhyuk walked through the door and gestured excitedly at the microwave. “I made you some rice!” he announced proudly. “You might have to heat it up, if you want, but you can definitely eat it cold. Either way, I think, it should taste fine, because I tried a recipe my mom had told me about and-”

“I like you, Sanha.”

The words came out before he could stop them, and once they hung in the air between the two boys, Minhyuk decided not to snatch them back. He was going to be honest with himself, and with Sanha. And if Jinwoo was wrong somehow, if Sanha _didn't_ like him back, then Minhyuk would request that their friendship remain as steady and strong as it had been already for years and years.

But if Jinwoo was right, then surely this was the correct thing to do. Surely _admitting_ his feelings would work better than storing them in and bottling them up and watching as he and Sanha went through life flirting around each other but never quite grasping onto their mutual emotions.

Sanha stared at Minhyuk for what seemed like a full minute. Nothing was said. The noise on the television was light and steady and didn't cut through the moment.

Sanha was the first to break it. “I...have rice-”

That aversion to his confession really wasn't what Minhyuk _wanted_ to hear. He tried again. “Were you listening, Sanha? I like you. I like you as more than a roommate and as more than a friend. I want...I want to have an actual _relationship_ with you. Like, a relationship where you hold hands and...and go out on dates. A relationship where maybe we can one day tell each other that...”

Sanha wasn't looking at him. Sanha was scurrying off to the microwave, opening it to reveal a large bowl of rice, and he seemed nervous. “Rice!” he exclaimed, pointing at his dish. “I made you rice, Minhyuk! I've _always_ made you rice, and you _always_ just come and eat it, and I think we should just do that right now! You should eat the rice and I can sit down and talk to you about everything that happened to me today, and then we can watch an episode-”

“Why are you avoiding the subject?” Minhyuk snapped. Sanha fell silent and licked his lips. “If you don't like me, just tell me, Sanha! I can take it! And if you don't like me, we can...we can do all those things you wanted and I'll ignore my feelings.”

Sanha remained quiet.

“Sanha...” Minhyuk balled his hands up into fists and took a deep breath. “Do you like me?”

The television was the only sound in the apartment again, and after an extra minute, Minhyuk decided to turn. But then Sanha smacked the bowl of rice onto the table, and he heard his friend yell, “I've _always_ liked you, stupid Park Minhyuk, but you're an _idiot!_ You're the most _stupid idiot_ on the _whole_ planet! It took you _this long_ to confess – you're so _dumb_ , Minhyuk!”

Minhyuk wasn't the first to retreat to his room like he thought he would. Instead, Sanha shoved past him, ignoring Minhyuk's shocked expression, and hurried into his own room. The door slammed shut and Minhyuk couldn't even wince.

Sanha liked him?

Sanha liked him since _always?_

_Sanha always liked him?_

The information was a lot to take in, and Minhyuk's mind was reeling. Jinwoo had been right all along. Now that Minhyuk stopped to think about it, everything Sanha said or did was due to his feelings and emotions. He always made food, he always picked Minhyuk up during rainy or snowy weather, he always tickled him and got close to him and leaned on his shoulder and stared at him when he thought Minhyuk didn't notice.

He did all the things that someone with an obvious crush would do, short of explaining their love, and Minhyuk just _now_ saw it all.

His heart hammered heavily in his chest. He rushed after Sanha, opening his door to reveal the boy in tears on his bed.

“Sanha?” he whispered.

Sanha didn't look up. Sanha just covered his face with his hands and shook his head. “Go away, you idiot,” he mumbled with no bite to his words. “I can't be-believe I've liked you all this ti-time and you finally blurt out that _you_ like _me_. H-How _long_ have you liked me? If you liked me, why couldn't you see how much _I_ liked _you?_ ”

He hadn't meant to upset Sanha. He closed the door behind him and made his way to Sanha's bed, feeling the slight dip in the cheap mattress as he, too, took a seat.

“I think you established why I never noticed,” Minhyuk mumbled. “It's because I'm an idiot.”

Sanha sniffed and peeked through his fingers at Minhyuk. “You are,” he fussed. “You're the most stupid idiot ever. I can't believe I like someone so dumb.”

“I feel blessed that you like me even though I'm an idiot.” Minhyuk cleared his throat. “Y-You should feel happy that I'm willing to put up with your stupidly long arms and legs, and your ridiculous screeches you make when something embarrasses you.”

“Better to date someone like me than to date s-someone like you.”

Minhyuk smirked and continued to stare over at Sanha. They made eye contact, and Sanha didnt' move away. “And, yet, you want to date me. You want to date a stupid idiot. I wonder why that is.”

Sanha's lips trembled. “Because...because _I'm_ a stupid idiot. I-I never noticed that _you_ liked _me_.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

Sanha gave a small snort, then rubbed at his nose. He removed his hands fully from his face, clasping them nervously together in his lap. “But...but I like you, an-and you like me, so now what? Does this mean...does this mean we're together?”

_Together_.

The thing Minhyuk had been yearning for since he could remember. _Together with Sanha_. The thing he had thought he would never once in his life attain. He could finally grasp onto it. Sanha was _his_. _He_ was Sanha's.

He couldn't help the grin that tugged his lips upward, and he leaned suddenly into Sanha. “Do you _want_ to be together? I don't know if you can handle me, Sanha. All this swag and cool-”

“You're a _moron!_ ” Sanha cried out, struggling to get away from Minhyuk's affectionate cuddles. “I don't want to date a moron!”

“Too late! You're going to date me and you're going to like it!”

Fortunately, Sanha was giggling, all previous signs of his tears drying up quickly. He fell down onto the bed, and Minhyuk followed suit, scooting over next to him and realizing just how difficult it was to remove the smile from his face.

Sanha caught sight of the smile. “Stop smiling. You look so dumb.”

“That must be why you like me so much.”

“Yeah, right. As if.”

“Oh? So if you don't like my stupidity, then you must like my swag.”

He received a shove then, and he laughed as he rolled back over to his original position. Sanha clutched at his pillow with a pout, and Minhyuk realized just how lucky he was. Even if Sanha had stupidly long limbs and a loud screech, he was cute and beautiful and kind.

“Here.” Minhyuk reached down to the end of Sanha's bed, where a familiar gray blanket with faded lighting bolts was folded. He straightened it out and draped it across Sanha's head. “Take my blanket.”

Sanha didn't move at first, and so Minhyuk whispered, “Better, Sanha?”

Once those words left his mouth, Sanha poked his head up from the blanket before grabbing onto Minhyuk and cuddling in close. The new proximity made Minhyuk's ears go red, and he stiffened before Sanha hit his shoulder weakly.

He could actually get used to this, and with slow movements, he wrapped his own arms around Sanha's body.

Sanha sighed. “Better,” he responded.

(Minhyuk agreed.)

 

**Author's Note:**

> it came from a prompt request on my tumblr, and thank you to the anon who requested it, i loved writing it!
> 
> come send me dolla bills [@vonseal](http://www.vonseal.tumblr.com).


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